


Imperial Hearts

by seolarise_ (suhrene)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Color Blindness, Emperor Kun, Imperial Advisor, M/M, Qian Empire
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-09-29 11:31:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17202668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suhrene/pseuds/seolarise_
Summary: In a world where colour is only for those of blooming hearts, the young Emperor Qian finds him placed upon a throne with loneliness as his sole companion.As the palace doors opens for the entry of newly appointed noble advisors, a veil is suddenly lifted and the spectrums of the world, finally visible.Seo Youngho, young, talented, and astute, brings with him not only a wealth of knowledge, but also a heart of gold.Two burning stars collide, their hearts  dyed crimson and their vision finally clear. And so the tale of imperial hearts begins.





	Imperial Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! Welcome to my first Johnkun fic! I hope you like it, there will be another part soon! Please leave kudos if you like it and let me know what you think!
> 
> Ali x

They said that colour was a wonderful thing. Yellow was warm, sensational and bright. Blue was calming, soothing to the soul. Green was the grass that surrounded them, wholesome and fresh. And red. 

 

Red was the bursting of the heart, the blooming rose, the oozing warm liquid as it flowed through his veins. Red was anger, red was passion, red was fear. Red was the imperial emblem, the colour of the emperor's robes, the colour of the people.

 

Red was love. 

 

His father had described the moment vividly, the way his world had suddenly lit up. What once was dull reality, a world of no light, was suddenly a spectrum of possibilities. Her eyes were the first thing he had seen, a hazel he said they were, the colour of comfort and warmth. Vision, that was what he called her, what other halfs were called. Kun couldn’t really understand what that meant, not when all he saw was grey.

 

“When you see it you’ll know- the part of your life you were missing.” 

 

So he had waited; patient he believed he was, but patience didn’t seem to get him anywhere. Years passed, his cousins and siblings all finding the vision, finding their other halfs. And yet Kun, now within his late twenties, still remained in his monochromatic universe - dark and mundane. 

 

It seemed perhaps his vision was not out there, not waiting for him like he did them. The possibility would sometimes cross his mind about them not existing at all. Oh how woeful that would be, a visionless ruler. 

 

There he stayed, perched upon the his throne, elevated above all his subjects and yet he felt beneath them. An emperor without love, ruling a crimson hearted empire. What a joke. 

 

His wine tasted not nearly as pleasant today, a shade lighter than usual,  as he watched the performers dance in front of him. The court seemed to enjoy themselves however, arms splayed around their partners as they jested and and dug into their feasts. He merely watched quietly, observing their interactions. The way their eyes would meet, their smiles, their happiness. Oh how he longed for that. 

 

“They’re waiting at the doors,” Sicheng, his loyal servant since birth, had informed. His voice always remained quiet and soft, just the tone he prefered. The emperor raised his hand in dismissal, allowing him to send them in. He would rather finish this quickly so he could return to his chambers and rest. 

 

The merriment was halted as the music began to fade. A guard at the door announced their arrival as all eyes faced their way.

 

The newly appointed noble advisors were to be entering the palace today. They were fresh and young, of good intellect and heritage, and had passed the imperial examination. It had been personally set by himself this year as he sought out a royal aide that would be compatible to him. Of the 215 applicants, only 16 had passed with satisfactory marks, which was to be expected. It was well known that the Emperor was looking only for the best of the best and so had tested their capabilities with the toughest of challenges. 

 

Only one person had truly stood out amongst the group though - one of the older members, only a few months older than he himself. He had looked over his background information beforehand seeing as he was the strongest applicant to be considered as his imperial adviser - a role far higher than that of a noble advisor. 

 

Seo Youngho was his name, of a middle class family, who had studied abroad in the Sooman Empire before returning this year to the Qian Empire. He had a wide breadth of knowledge having seen so much from the prospering country, and was strongly supported by his father’s own imperial advisor Yunho. 

 

“He’s a gem, a once-in-a-century talent that needs to be cultivated. He has a mind like no other and a heart of gold. You’re looking for someone like that are you not Emperor?” He had questioned, and Kun could not help his curiosity grow. Yunho was not one to be impressed so easily, being another great mind of his time. What was so special that he spoke so highly of him? 

 

When he had enquired about his responses to the examination questions he had set, he had found the answer. What he had thought was unanswerable, he had unpicked and answered. He was precise, articulate and thoughtful. Indeed, exactly what Kun was looking for. 

 

He had a painting along with the information he was given, something for him to go by in identifying him. 

 

And yet as the men entered, one after another in a single line, all dressed in the finest of silks, his mind failed to recall any of that. Not when the most beautiful person he had ever seen was standing just a few metres away. His painting had done him no justice.

 

Oh heavens, he had never seen a man sculpted like him, with a jaw as sharp as diamonds and lips as plump as a peach. His hair fell over his eyes, soft looking and of various shades; he couldn’t tell of what exactly. Their eyes didn’t meet, he wouldn’t dare meet the gaze of the emperor, not when he had only just set foot into the court. And yet he couldn’t help but yearn to have the man look up straight into his eyes. 

 

He stood up from his throne, walked down the steps in his royal attire with poise and confidence, yet in himself grew conflict and confusion. What was this feeling of unrest he was experiencing? Why was he so unsettled?

As the men, some even young boys, came forward to introduce themselves, Kun couldn’t help but give slightly distracted nods their way as he showed acknowledgement. A kiss to the hand of the Emperor was the traditional method of sealing the oath they were making to him. Each came to stand before him, utter their promises without looking up, and then kneel down to press a feather of a kiss on his ice cold hand. 

 

He knew no warmth to flow through his veins, not when he had no vision. Warmth was a privilege, only for those of blooming hearts. And the emperor of Qian was anything but. 

 

As they all stepped back and gave room to the final man waiting, Kun found anticipation rising from within him. He didn’t understand, he was never like this. 

 

His breath all but stopped when the towering figure came in front of him, taller, much taller than he would have ever thought. He knew craning his head back to look up at a subject was unspeakable to do, and so it took every effort to keep his head facing ahead straight at his chest - his very filled out chest. Kun cursed in his mind, what in the heavens had come over him to have such crude thoughts? 

 

“My name is Seo Youngho, first son of the Seo family,” he spoke and Kun could barely find the strength to keep standing straight. His voice was velvety, with a slight lisp which he found so endearing, smooth and steady. Soft and quiet, just how he liked. 

 

As he spoke his oath, the emperor found himself making his own within his mind, promises to lead him well, to guide him as he brought this empire to a new dawn. Because he was sure he was capable of such with this man by his side. 

 

He kneeled down, his frame still reaching so high, as Kun brought his hand forward. He would feel it, that ice touch of his against his lips, and the thought coiled at the pit of his stomach. 

 

A hand rested under his, just as cold he noticed, but bigger than his own, as those perfectly shaped lips pressed softly onto his flawless skin. 

 

It was then he felt it. A small pressure where his lips lay, a warmth. Eye’s widened as he gasped, unable to contain himself as the feeling grew, the unusual sensation filling his body, overwhelming him. 

 

What had felt like a dead corpse was suddenly functioning, as the liquid within his veins began to pump around his inner canals. He was being reborn, he could feel it as every fibre of his being jumped to life, buzzing in excitement.

 

He knew very well the kneeling figure in front of him was feeling much the same, not having moved for the past few seconds causing an eruption of whispers. The emperor was doing nothing to move him, just as still, and the royal subjects were questioning as to why. Could it be? Could he finally have - 

 

“Lift your head up,” he found his voice to be stable thankfully, though slightly hoarse as he spoke quietly for only the two of them to hear. 

 

Youngho hesitated, not moving right away. Of course he did, looking into the emperor’s eyes was punishable by death. But he had been ordered to, by the emperor himself nonetheless. So as he moved back finally, hand falling away from its original spot leaving an aching absence, he finally allowed himself to tilt his eyes back and lay his eyes upon his master.

 

The sensation was different to what his father had described. Rather than simply lighting up, to Kun it felt more like it set ablaze, his entire universe turning on its axis. All that he knew to be true had changed with the introduction of the first colour he would ever set his eyes upon. 

 

Honey, that was it, he didn’t know how he named it to be that but he knew it to be true. A warm honey and pools of gold. If you looked closer into his eyes, you could see the sun in them, the stars, the universe. Burning brightly, never dimming. For he held the world within him and all the galaxies, and he held warmth and happiness. And that was enough. 

 

The once still organ within him finally began to start its journey through life, staining red as it bloomed within him. 

 

Red. 

 

That was what he saw. 

 

Red was the bursting of the heart, the blooming rose, the oozing warm liquid as it flowed through his veins. Red was anger, red was passion, red was fear. Red was the imperial emblem, the colour of the emperor's robes, the colour of the people.

 

Red was love. 

 

“Seo Youngho,” he whispered, tasting his name for the first time on his lips.

 

“Yes...your excellency..” He wasn’t sure what to refer to him as, not now that he had finally found his vision. What did this mean exactly? 

 

“You are hereby appointed as Imperial Advisor. You will be working under my direct orders. You are now  _ mine.  _ Is that understood?” A shiver down ran down his spine as the emperor staked his claim.  _ His  _ emperor. 

 

“Yes your excellency… from now on I will only ever be  _ yours _ ..”

 

And all around them applause erupted, cheers from the subjects and nobles, the whole court stood up in celebration. For they all knew what they had just witnessed. Their emperor had finally found him.  _ His Vision. _

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Check out my social media and CC
> 
> [My twitter ](https://twitter.com/_xiurora)
> 
> [My CC](http://curiouscat.co.uk/_xiurora)


End file.
